Tricriticality in crossed Ising chains

We explore the phase diagram of Ising spins on one-dimensional chains that criss-cross in two perpendicular directions and that are connected by interchain couplings. This system is of interest as a simpler, classical analog of a quantum Hamiltonian that has been proposed as a model of magnetic behavior in Nb_{12}O_{29} and also, conceptually, as a geometry that is intermediate between one and two dimensions. Using mean-field theory as well as Metropolis Monte Carlo and Wang-Landau simulations, we locate quantitatively the boundaries of four ordered phases. Each becomes an effective Ising model with unique effective couplings at large interchain coupling. Away from this limit, we demonstrate nontrivial critical behavior, including tricritical points that separate first- and second-order phase transitions. Finally, we present evidence that this model belongs to the two-dimensional Ising universality class.